Breast Cancer Patients Benefit From Yoga

Breast cancer patients who do yoga tend to enjoy better health, less fatigue and experience less daytime sleepiness - this applies to women who are undergoing radiotherapy for their breast cancer, say scientists from the University of Texas, M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, USA. Lorenzo Cohen, study leader, said even a short yoga program - including meditation, relaxation, breathing exercises, stretching, imagery and physical movements - can be very useful at reducing the side effects that come with breast cancer treatment.

The study looked at 61 women who were undergoing a six-week radiotherapy course after breast cancer surgery. Half of them attended a twice-weekly yoga class, the other half didn't. At the end of the courses - radiotherapy and yoga courses - they had to fill in a questionnaire.

The questionnaire asked how well they coped with lifting shopping bags, walking a mile, how tired they felt (fatigue), how well they felt - other questions were also asked, all related to their general well being and ability to carry out certain physical functions. Depending on how the women answered the questionnaire, points were attributed, up to a maximum of 100. The yoga group scored an average of 82 points while the non-yoga group scored 69.

An important part of yoga involves the creation of a balance in the body through the development of strength and flexibility. This is achieved mainly through performing certain poses - each pose has benefits. The poses can be done rapidly, one after the other - this creates heat in the body as a result of movement. It is also possible to perform the movements slowly, this raises stamina - the person in this case is also improving the alignment of the pose. Yoga experts may disagree on how each pose should be ideally performed.

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